Webster's English Dictionary

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tragedy

trag.e.dy \'traj-*d-e-\ n [ME tragedie, fr. MF, fr. L tragoedia, fr. Gk 
   trago-idia,]fr. tragos goat + aeidein to sing; prob. fr. the satyrs 
   represented by the original chorus; akin to Gk tro-gein to gnaw - more at 
   TERSE, ODE 1a: a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the 
   downfall of  a great man 1b: a serious drama typically describing a 
   conflict between the protagonist  and a superior force (as destiny) and 
   having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror 1c: 
   the literary genre of tragic dramas  2a: a disastrous event : CALAMITY  2b: 
   MISFORTUNE  3: tragic quality or element